1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receptacle terminal used for electrically connecting an electrical wire to an electrical element such as a busbar, a relay, or a fuse.
2. Related Art
FIG. 5 shows a terminal 101 disclosed in Japan Utility Model Application laid-open 61-180469. The terminal 101 is used for electrically connecting an electrical wire to an electrical element such as a busbar, a relay, and a fuse. The terminal 101 is obtained by bending a sheet of a blank 120 made of an electrical conductive material (FIG. 6). The terminal 101 has an electrical wire connection portion 104 and an electrical connection portion 105.
The electrical wire connection portion 104 has a bottom wall 110a and a plurality of crimping pieces 111 each contiguous to a periphery of the bottom wall 110a. The electrical wire connection portion 104 is electrically connected to an electrical wire. That is, a stripped core end (not shown) of the electrical wire is disposed on the bottom wall 110a, and the stripped core end is secured on the bottom wall 110a by bending the crimping pieces 111 to crimp the core end.
The electrical connection portion 105 has a bottom wall 110b, a top wall 112 opposing to the bottom wall 110b, a side wall 113 joining the bottom wall 110b to the top wall 112, and a resilient piece 115. The electrical connection portion 105 is a square barrel. The bottom wall 110b of the electrical connection portion 105 unitarily aligns with the bottom wall 110a of the electrical wire connection portion 104.
The resilient piece 115 is a thin plate strip. The resilient piece 115 has a part extending along the longitudinal direction of the electrical wire disposed on the bottom wall 110a. An end of the resilient piece 115 is contiguous to the top wall 112 at a side of the electrical wire connection portion 104.
The other end of the resilient piece 115 is positioned at a longitudinal middle portion of the bottom wall 110b, since the resilient piece 115 is turned back from the one end. The folded part of the resilient piece 115 lies over the bottom wall 110b longitudinally along the bottom wall 110b. 
The resilient piece 115 is a cantilever having one end joined to the top wall 112. The resilient piece 115 is resiliently deflectable such that a free end portion of the resilient piece 115 can move toward and apart from the top wall 112.
The resilient piece 115 has a resilient press-contact portion 116 positioned in the other end side of the resilient piece 115. The resilient press-contact portion 116 is defined in a convex shape projecting toward the top wall 112 at a longitudinal middle portion of the turned-back resilient piece 115. The resilient press-contact portion 116 has a blunt peak.
In the thus configured terminal 101, a pin 102 of an opposing terminal such as a busbar tab illustrated by a chain line P of FIG. 5 is inserted between the side walls 113 and between the bottom wall 110b and the top wall 112. The inserted pin 102 contacts the resilient press-contact portion 116 of the resilient piece 115. The insertion of the pin 102 pushes the resilient press-contact portion 116 to move it away from the top wall 112.
The resilient piece 115 urges the pin 102 toward the top wall 112. The resilient piece 115 and the top wall 112 pinches the pin 102 therebetween. Thus, the terminal 101 electrically connects the electrical wire disposed in the electrical wire connection portion 104 to the pin 102.
The blank 120 illustrated in FIG. 6 is obtained by striking out an electrically conductive metal sheet. The blank 120 is substantially rectangular. The blank 120 has a bottom wall part 121 positioned at a lateral central portion thereof, a pair of side wall parts 122, a top wall part 123, a plurality of crimping piece parts 124, and a resilient piece part 126.
The bottom wall part 121, the pair of side wall parts 122, the top wall part 123, the plurality of crimping piece parts 124, and resilient piece part 126 are bent at fold lines shown by chain lines Q of the blank 120. Thereby, the terminal 101 is defined to have the bottom walls 110a, 110b, the side wall 113, the top wall 112, the crimping piece 111, and the resilient piece 115.
The bottom wall part 121 is a bar extending in a longitudinal direction of the blank 120. Each side wall part 122 is contiguous to a lateral edge of the bottom wall part 121. The side wall part 122 also extends longitudinally. The top wall part 123 is contiguous to an edge of one of the side wall parts 122. The top wall part 123 also extends longitudinally.
Each crimping piece part 124 is contiguous to an edge of the bottom wall part 121. The crimping piece part 124 extends outward from an edge of the bottom wall part 121. The resilient piece part 126 extends longitudinally toward one of the crimping piece parts 124 and has one end contiguous with an end 123a of the top wall part 123.
The resilient piece part 126 is positioned in an outward side to longitudinally align with the top wall part 123. The thus configured blank 120 is bent along the fold lines Q, and the resilient piece part 126 is bent such that its tip is positioned near in an edge 122a of the side wall part 122 to obtain the terminal 101.
The resilient piece part 126 of the blank 120 is positioned to align with the top wall part 123, and the resilient piece part 126 extends from the top wall part 123 toward another edge 120a of the blank 120. Thus, the resilient piece part 126 is positioned close to the crimping piece part 124, so that the crimping piece part 124 tends to have a smaller length along the bottom wall part 121.
Thus, the terminal 101 limits an electrical wire connected to the electrical wire connection portion 104 in thickness. That is, the terminal 101 is not satisfactory for receiving an electrical wire having a comparatively larger thickness.
Moreover, since the resilient piece part 126 is positioned close to the crimping piece part 124, the resilient piece part 126 also tends to have a smaller length. Hence, the resilient piece 115 defined by bending the resilient piece part 126 tends to exert a smaller resilient force on the pin 102 against the top wall 112. Thereby, the pin 102 which has been received between the resilient piece 115 and the top wall 112 might undesirably fall out from them.
In view of the above-mentioned disadvantages, an object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle terminal which can receives an electrical wire having a comparatively larger thickness. The receptacle terminal prevents an unintentional disengagement of a mated terminal pin from the receptacle terminal.
For achieving the object, a receptacle terminal according to the present invention includes: an electrical wire connection portion electrically connected to an electrical wire and an electrical connection portion receiving an opposing terminal pin. The electrical wire connection portion has a base wall retaining the electrical wire and a plurality of crimping piece contiguous to the base wall for crimping the electrical wire. The electrical connection portion has a pair of walls receiving the pin and a resilient piece, the resilient piece urging the pin against one of the pair of walls to pinch the pin therebetween. The receptacle terminal is defined by bending a blank having parts corresponding to the base wall, the crimping piece, the pair of walls, and the resilient piece. The resilient piece has a joining piece and an extended strip joined to the joining piece. The extended strip extends in an insertion direction of the pin, and the joining piece projects from a longitudinal edge of the one of the pair of walls.
Preferably, the joining piece is contiguous to the one of the pair of walls at a side of the crimping piece, and the blank has the extended strip extending parallel to an insertion direction of the pin toward the crimping pieces.
Preferably, the joining piece of the resilient piece is bent from the edge of the one of pair of walls, and the blank has an opening receiving a folded part of the joining piece.
As described above, the blank of the receptacle terminal has the resilient piece part consisting of the joining piece and the extended strip. The joining piece outwardly extends from the longitudinal edge of the one of the pair of walls. The extended strip is contiguous to the joining piece. Thus, in the blank, the extended strip is in no interference relationship with the crimping piece part. Thus, the crimping pieces and the extended strip (the resilient piece) each have a desired size.
Since the folded part of the joining piece is received in the receiving opening when the resilient piece is formed, the extended strip may have a width substantially equal to the width of the base wall or of the one of pair of walls.